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Nestle to establish R&D centre in India

September 23, 2010
/ 2 min read

30th R&D centre of the company

Nestle, which has had a presence in India since 1912 and operates seven factories across the country, announced the establishment of an R&D centre in Manesar in Gurgaon, India. Nestle India, headquartered in Gurgaon, will make an investment of around CHF 50 million(229 crore), that will further strengthen Nestle’s R&D capabilities in emerging markets. In total, the company will be investing around Rs 5,960 crore globally on R&D. This will be the company’s 30th R&D centre across the globe and first in India and it will be operational by 2012.

“R&D India, which would be built in an area of 200,000 sq ft, will initially be staffed by a team of about 40 scientists and engineers, and we expect this number to grow over the coming years” said Klaus Zimmermann, Head of Nestle R&D Centres, Worldwide. Most of the people working here will be recruited locally, as India has a good reputation for its tertiary education system, he added. The centre will focus mainly on research on traditional Indian ingredients like Indian spices, milk and locally grown cereals.

“Nestle would also be setting up a manufacturing facility with an investment of Rs 350 crore in Karnataka, primarily for manufacturing Maggi noodles”, said Antonio Helio Waszyk, Chairman and MD, Nestle India. “We are focussing on building brands in India”, he added.